Wednesday marks the 51st birthday of former Socceroos midfielder Craig Foster, who has become one of the most recognisable Australian football faces with SBS whilst his humanitarian work has seen him earn worldwide recognition.
To celebrate his birthday, we take a look back at some of his best moments in the green and gold.
The early days
Foster made his debut for Australia in a World Cup qualifier against New Zealand in 1996 and went on to make 29 appearances, scoring nine goals in the process.
His first goal for the national team arrived in the 13-0 victory against the Solomon Islands on November 6, 1997 after recently securing a move to England to play under Terry Venables at Portsmouth.
The 1997 Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia was another chance for him to showcase his talents on the world stage. He played every minute in that tournament, which saw the Socceroos finish runners up after being outclassed by Brazil in the final.
Foster rounded off his Socceroos’ career in the 2000 OFC Nations Cup. He was the tournament’s top scorer, getting on the scoresheet on five occasions. Four of his goals arrived against the Cook Islands before he scored in the 2-0 win against New Zealand in the final.
The face of SBS
Since retiring as a player, Foster has become one of the most recognisable faces on television, as a regular on SBS’ coverage of the round game in Australia.
He featured alongside the late Les Murray and Johnny Warren throughout his early days at SBS and has covered all the latest defining moments in Socceroos’ history.
Football fans across the country will never forget his commentary in the Socceroos’ crucial World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in November 2005.
Foster and Murray had a formidable partnership throughout their time on SBS, with their coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany being remembered as some of the most thorough and knowledgeable analysis.
He has since covered the green and gold at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups. Foster’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia alongside Lucy Zelic saw the pair win a Logie for most outstanding sports coverage after they worked tirelessly to provide all the latest information to the Australian public.
Leading the way
Foster has had an immense impact off the field. He’s spent years supporting various humanitarian and human rights projects across the globe.
The former Socceroo’s involvement and tireless efforts to support the release of Australian footballer and refugee Hakeem al-Araibi showcased the determination and willpower of Foster to support and help others in need.
Foster is currently an ambassador of FFA's Red Cross partnership and is also the architect of the ‘Play for Lives’ campaign, which is seeing the Australian sporting community providing a helping hand throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: Daniel Garb's top 10 moments from 10 years covering Socceroos